Mandera residents share food with animals as drought worsens

The drought in Mandera has worsened to a point of residents sharing their little food with livestock.

Issack Hapicha, assistant director, Drought Contingency Planning and Response at the National Drought Management Authority in Mandera, said they have been experiencing drought since lat year and it is worsening.

He says the situation is so bad that people would rather share what they have with the animals than watch them die.

“When we were doing interventions in November, one man told us that goats and cattle are now coming home for lunch. They hang around so that they can also get a share,” Hapicha said.

He said in June 2021, Mandera was in the alarm phase, however it is currently at the emergency phase.

“The government and donor response is minimal and the situation is getting out of hand. Livestock are dying in large numbers but we have not reported any case of human death,” Hapicha said.

The animals he says are emaciated, have no milk and cannot fetch good prices.

So far, 19,778 goats, 16,765 cattle, 2,949 camels and 557 donkeys have died in Mandera.

Last week, the Star conducted a field visit on the drought situation in Mandera.

Also, a look into the interventions being carried out by the Danish Refugee Council and other partners under the Boresha project.

A walk to the market places in Mandera and neighboring towns shows a booming business for maize stalks.

A resident from Rhamu, Mandera North said for the first time he has witnessed camels feeding on maize stalks.

Livestock keepers try to purchase whatever they can afford to cushion their animals from the severe drought that has so far affected 23 ASAL counties.

However, Sheikh Mohamed Osman, a member of the Natural Resource Management Committee in Neboi village says they have benefitted from the Boresha storage facility- Neboi Haybarn.

The facility was constructed under the Boresha project by World Vision Kenya, the Danish Refugee Council and CARE with funding from the European Union in 2020.

“The storage facility has been a blessing to us because fodder retains the original quality unlike before when we dried it in the sun," Osman said.

He said they feed the fodder to the milking and weak animals that have been left behind as the other animals travel kilometers in search of pasture and water.

"The milk supports the women and children,” Osman said.

He said 20 members of the group have benefited from the facility and their animals have some fodder to keep them alive until the rains come.

Khali Olet Heishiti a resident of Neiboi is a business woman selling different fodder at the market in Mandera.

She says she buys a pile of green maize stalk at Sh150 at the farm gate from farmers along the river line.

Olet sells the same pile at Sh200 in the market. In a day, she sells about 20 piles.

She says this is the highest sales she has done in a season as the drought intensifies and demand for fodder keeps rising.

Ali Issack Mohamed, a livelihoods manager at the DRC East Africa & Great Lakes Region said communities have been able to cope with the effects of drought thanks to interventions by the Boresha project.

He said the interventions include provision of fodder for livestock and long-term boreholes and water points for animals and household use.

Ali said they are also planning to implement a number of emergency related activities such a conditional cash transfers through cash for work.

The manager said a team is in the field finalising on identification and registration.

“The beneficiaries will do some activities of which they will be paid Sh13,500 after 15 days, each day will be Sh900,” he said. 

Ali said by doing that, they are trying to improve the purchasing power of the community.

Isaack Mohamed, a resident of Shangala says before the underground water tank was established by Boresha, residents could walk for 13kms to get water.

“We would also travel far with our animals and many would die on the way. But today, even though there are a number of emaciated animals at the homesteads, we have not had any deaths,” he said. 

However, Mandera North water officer Abdi Hassir said no deaths related to people have been reported but animals are dying due to lack of pasture.

“No water pan has water, they have all dried up. Livestock and human beings are now congested at boreholes," he said.

Hassir however says the Mandera government has put up intervention measures to mitigate the drought.

The measures include water trucking and repairing of boreholes in case of a breakdowns.

He however says residents still face access challenges due to poor road network and insecurity.

Mandera North veterinary officer Dr Abdulnasir Fara said the worst affected places are Hola, Lankura, Arsaboti up to Gofa, Elwak, ShimbirFatuma, Chachabole, Wargudud, Lafey, Fino and Arabia.  

He said water trucking, hay for livestock or pellets and offtakes in form of cash transfer will assist the communities.

Fara said there have been cases of PPR disease-which affect sheep and goats.

He said this is disruptive to the livestock-keeping communities because of the high mortality rates.

However the veterinary officer said the department has a few vaccines in the field which are under surveillance.

He said if the vaccines are viable, they will have a a ten-day vaccination exercise against PPR.

“The vaccines we have received from the Mandera government are minimal and we are in dire need of more vaccines,” Fara said.

He said there are also on the lookout for Rift Valley Fever.

“In February and March last year, we had cases of RVF outbreak for the first time in Mandera. About 18 camels died due to the low levels of camel vaccinations," Fara said.

However the veterinary officer said the department is doing surveillance to arrest the situation before it happens.

He said there is need for quick intervention in provision of livestock feed, treatment and vaccines.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)